Transparency International Bangladesh on Tuesday said that there was scope for misuse of the formulated draft Cyber Security Ordinance as it still contained some repressive provisions similar to those in the Cyber Security Act.
The TIB came up with the information at a press conference at its office in the capital鈥檚 Dhanmondi saying that the hasty finalisation of the ordinance鈥檚 draft without consulting experts and stakeholders would likely serve as a tool to suppress freedom of expression, media, and speech.
It also said it is crucial to quickly revise the draft based on discussions with experts and stakeholders, incorporating their feedback in the ordinance.
TIB executive director Iftekharuzzaman said that the ordinance鈥檚 objectives could be undermined due to the lack of consultations with all stakeholders before approving the draft.
Earlier on December 24, the draft of the Cybersecurity Ordinance 2024, was approved at a meeting of the advisory council of the interim government.
Iftekharuzzaman said, 鈥極ur country has a Law Commission. Why was it not involved in drafting the ordinance? These are the questions that remain, and we are concerned about this ordinance.鈥�
鈥楾he ordinance has turned into a controlling and surveillance measure, particularly when it comes to freedom of speech and expression,鈥� he said, adding that the law would be used as a tool to hamper freedom of expression like the previous time.
He also said, 鈥楢lthough digital rights are stated in the ordinance, we see no reflection of rights-based principles throughout the ordinance. Instead, we see provisions that infringe upon rights.鈥�
鈥楾he law uses many terms that lack clear definitions, creating scope for misuse due to their vagueness,鈥� he added.
Muhammad Ershadul Karim, associate professor at the Department of Law and Emerging Technologies at the University of Malaya in Malaysia, took part in the press conference virtually and presented an analysis on the ordinance.
He said that under Section 8 of the ordinance, the director general of the National Cybersecurity Agency might request the relevant authority to remove or block any information posing 鈥榓 cybersecurity risk.鈥�
Ershadul Karim explained that if such powers were granted without judicial oversight, there was a risk that these provisions could be misused.
